Would-be scammers pick the wrong target: DA Joseph Early

The area’s top law enforcement official was the target of a recent scam.

A couple of weeks ago, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. was in his office and received a FedEx package listing his name and the exact address of his office.

Inside the priority overnight stamped package was what appeared to be a legitimate check from Aetna Life Insurance Co. for $2,150.

Mr. Early wondered if his father, former U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Early, had a life insurance policy through the company.

The senior Early died in November.

Mr. Early called the company and confirmed the check was a fake.

Mr. Early also happens to have a crew of state police investigators at the ready. He tapped financial investigators in his unit to follow up.

“There is some irony in it,” Mr. Early said about receiving the fake check.

“Hopefully, we are protecting someone else from getting scammed.”

State police investigators called Aetna and learned that the check is part of a scam out of Nigeria.

Officials tracked the FedEx package to California. The scam artists apparently hacked into a Georgia Institute of Technology FedEx account to send the checks, said Trooper Michael A. Leo, an investigator for the state police detective unit assigned to Mr. Early’s office.

Trooper Leo checked with Aetna. He learned the company has been tracking about $1 million worth of these types of phony checks throughout the United States.

The U.S. Secret Service is now investigating.

“It looks very legit,” state Police Capt. Francis D. Leahy, head of Mr. Early’s state police detectives, said about the check.

Once someone cashes the check, the scammers gain access to the person’s bank account and drain it, Trooper Leo said.

Mr. Early wondered if the scammers mined obituaries to find targets.

Capt. Leahy said people who receive a suspicious check can call their local police, state police or the U.S. Secret Service.

“Money does not fall out of the sky,” he said.

“If it looks too good to be true, it is.”

Susan Millerick, a spokeswoman for Aetna, said that from time to time Aetna’s name has been used in these types of schemes. Other companies’ names have also been dragged into these types of schemes, she said.

She recommended people not cash a check they deem suspicious and call local law enforcement.